With A Little Help From Draco Malfoy
by DellyDaaa
Summary: "How had he gotten himself into this situation? By opening up to Draco Malfoy, that's how." While Malfoy tutors him in potions, Harry lets slip his secret ambition... and Malfoy takes it upon himself to help Harry out with it. FLUFF. Eighth Year. HP/DM DRARRY!
1. Chapter One

**Hi all! So, this is just another silly little piece I put together! It's official, I'm incapable of writing anything that isn't super fluffy, sorry (not sorry). Seriously, it's so sweet you'll probably get a cavity. Also, let me know if you catch my very minor Mean Girls reference of sorts LOL I love that movie.** **Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please, if you can, send some lovely reviews my way!**

 **WARNINGS: The rating is mostly to be on the safe side. A bit of swearing, that's the major thing. So much fluff it's ridiculous… but what can I say I love it.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter in any sense, it all belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

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 _With A Little Help From Draco Malfoy_

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Harry couldn't remember ever being in a situation stranger than this (and he'd been in some interesting predicaments before). He couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if Draco Malfoy had taken it upon himself make sure Harry's greatest ambition would come to fruition.

Harry watched Malfoy out of the corner of his eye. He stood next to Harry, broom in hand, staring straight ahead. His normally immaculate hair was somewhat messy (by Malfoy standards at least) as a light breeze was blowing the blonde locks around. He looked regal and elegant as always. He seemed almost peaceful, more relaxed than Harry had ever seen him before. It was an odd sight for Harry, but if he was honest with himself it wasn't an unpleasant one.

"You know, Potter, the first step in preparing to become a professional Quidditch player is mounting your broom."

Malfoy turned his head in Harry's direction as he spoke. Finally, something Harry was familiar with. The almost rude and sardonic tone in addition to the smirk gracing Malfoy's face were far more in his comfort zone when it came to the Slytherin. Although, there was no malice in his voice now and Harry could have sworn he saw laughter in those deep grey eyes.

Those observations confirmed what Harry had been speculating before. It was clear now. Malfoy was trying to help him. That realization made him squirm.

How had he gotten himself into this situation?

By opening up to Draco Malfoy, that's how.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 _ **Two Hours Earlier**_

Harry grumbled bitterly to himself as he made his way down to the dungeons. He was convinced Slughorn was doing this intentionally as punishment for no longer being his star Potions student. Ever since having to get rid of Snape's old textbook, he'd been nothing short of dreadful in Potions. Literally. He never scored higher than a D on any assignment.

Sure, Harry thought, maybe he did need a little tutoring to possibly make some sort of improvement. But not from this tutor. This was surely going to be more detrimental to Harry than beneficial.

Harry entered the classroom and saw his tutor already standing there with his back to the door. He figured he should say something to announce his arrival. He barely got a word out, however, when the tutor turned around and held up a hand, making Harry immediately shut his mouth.

"Potter." Malfoy greeted him stiffly. He didn't wait for Harry to respond with his own greeting. Instead he went straight into an obviously rehearsed speech. "Whatever you've got to say, I don't want to hear it. This is not exactly ideal for me either. I can think of a thousand things I'd rather be doing with my Saturdays than being forced to spend them here with you. Unfortunately, one of the conditions of me being able to return to Hogwarts for this so called Eighth Year is that I would have to be a tutor in my best subject. I tutor several students in Potions. You are not special. You are not being punished. You simply need the help and it is my job to give you the assistance. That is all."

Harry couldn't help himself. "Yes, sir."

Malfoy shot him an exasperated look. "Funny. Now let's get started."

Harry had to admit, he was impressed by how good a tutor Malfoy was. Within an hour, he had managed to get through every step of the N.E.W.T. level potion Malfoy had assigned him with minimal problems. Malfoy's explanations and instructions were clear and concise. He wouldn't hover, but he watched Harry's every move, occasionally making suggestions or preventing him from making a mistake.

"Not bad, Potter. The last step is to let it sit for twenty minutes. In that time, the color should gradually turn from the dark red it is now to a light pink. If we see that color, then you've succeeded. To be honest, though, I'm very confident you did everything correctly."

Harry quirked an eyebrow. "Was that a disguised compliment, Malfoy?"

Reluctantly, or so it seemed, a small smile tugged at Malfoy's lips. "Perhaps. Or maybe it's simply me congratulating myself on turning you from a pathetic potion maker to something significantly better in only an hour."

Harry was surprised to find Malfoy's words didn't rile him up in any way. He snorted and replied, "I'll just take it as a compliment, thanks. Your ego is big enough as it is."

At first, Malfoy glared. Then he rolled his eyes.

They sat next to each other in a somewhat awkward silence for a while. It was weird not being at each other's throats. Harry thought back to the last time he'd talked to Malfoy. It had been after the war, at his trial. Harry had defended him, helping him to get off with a mere two years' probation and no time in Azkaban. Before leaving, he'd gone up to Malfoy and given him back his wand. They had been civil to each other that day, if nothing else. Following that interaction… nothing. Since returning to school, they hadn't said a word to each other. There had been no fights or arguments yet. They had essentially been ignoring one another for the past two months.

Harry glanced at Malfoy and couldn't help feeling something had changed with him. Hell, he knew a lot had changed with himself, so he supposed it was more than possible.

"So, Potter."

Harry was jolted out of his thoughts. "Yeah?"

Malfoy studied Harry as he spoke. "I must admit, I'm curious as to why you came back to Hogwarts this year. If I've heard correctly, you're planning on becoming an Auror. I've also heard that the Ministry would have immediately accepted our Savior into the Auror training program, even without passing the necessary N.E.W.T.s. So why bother coming back?"

That was probably the very last thing Harry would have expected Malfoy to say to him.

"What's it to you Malfoy?" he asked, sounding only slightly wary and not one bit angry or annoyed by the question.

Malfoy shrugged. "I'm merely attempting to make polite conversation. It's good manners. Plus, having any sort of discussion would be much better than sitting in silence for another ten minutes, don't you think?"

Malfoy felt it would be better to idly chit chat with Harry than have time to himself? The more Harry thought about it, though, the more he agreed with that idea. Sitting in silence was getting boring.

Thinking back to the original question, Harry raked a hand violently through his already unruly hair, unable to suppress a groan of frustration. For whatever reason he found himself replying and answering Malfoy's inquiry about his career path honestly.

"First of all, don't call me 'The Savior' or any of those other horrible nicknames I've been given." Malfoy's eyebrow rose in apparent surprise. Harry ignored it and continued on to his next, more important point. "Second, even if I still wanted to be an Auror, I'd want to earn my way in, not just be handed the job because of my name."

Malfoy seemed riveted by Harry's words. He kept his eyes on Harry, letting him know he was paying close attention. It made Harry awfully nervous. It took a moment for Malfoy to respond.

"' _Even if I still wanted to be an Auror…'_ " Malfoy quoted. "So, you don't want to be an Auror anymore?"

Harry stiffened up in his seat. He murmured, more to himself than Malfoy, "Shit. Did I really just say that?"

Confusion clearly etched in Malfoy's face, he asked, "Not something you talk about often?"

"Ever."

"Ever?"

"I've never admitted that to anyone."

Harry looked down at his feet, not quite sure what was going on with him. He couldn't believe that had slipped out. He had never even voiced that thought to Ron or Hermione. Yet here he was, starting to tell Malfoy, of all people, all that had changed in his mind since the end of the war.

Malfoy sat up a little straighter in his chair and cleared his throat. "I don't see why that's something to be worried about discussing."

"Everyone expects me to be an Auror. My friends, the Ministry. Hell, even you expected it! But I just feel like… I don't know… I feel like I've been fighting dark wizards pretty much since the day I found out about the wizarding world. Do I really want to choose to do that same thing every day for the rest of my life? No, I don't. But then I feel selfish for not wanting to continue helping people. What will people say when their _'Savior'_ doesn't want to do what they think he should do? I feel like I owe it to the world. Like I need to keep ridding the world of evil, even with Voldemort gone. Like that's my only true purpose in life. Still, I really don't want to do it anymore."

It was like word vomit. Once Harry started talking, he couldn't stop. Although, he had to admit it felt liberating to say out loud all the thoughts he'd been hiding away in his mind for months. Even if he was saying it to Draco bloody Malfoy, it felt good to get it off his chest. He let out a huge sigh of relief, and had to resist the urge to laugh out loud.

Malfoy turned in his chair to better face Harry. Only then did Harry notice how close they were to each other. Malfoy's knees were nearly touching he left thigh. He couldn't figure out why, but felt a chill shoot down his spine. He forced himself to look up, straight into Malfoy's striking grey eyes. He couldn't look away even if he wanted to, he was captured in Malfoy's gaze.

"I understand why you don't want to be an Auror anymore, and I'm sure everyone else would understand too. But if they don't, who cares? You don't owe the world shit, if anything the world owes _you_. Don't worry about being selfish, hell I think you have every right to be selfish after all you've done. Do what you want to do, Potter. Fuck what people expect from you."

Malfoy's deep voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke. Harry felt that chill shoot down his spine again, but this time he knew it was caused by Malfoy's intense stare. He felt like those piercing eyes were trying to see past the front he had put up, the front he would often hide behind these days. It was like Malfoy was trying to dig deeper into his thoughts. It was like he was _really_ trying to get to know him.

They had somehow gotten even closer than before. Harry hadn't noticed doing so, but as Malfoy had been talking he'd leaned in to better hear that smooth voice saying the words he so desperately needed to hear. Once aware of their proximity, Harry jerked back in his seat. He faced forward and sat up straight in his chair, hoping his face wasn't as flushed as it felt.

What had _that_ been about?

When Harry said nothing, Malfoy spoke again. He sounded casual, almost disinterested. Still, Harry could tell he was very interested in this topic. Why was he so interested? Harry wished he knew.

Malfoy asked, "Well, even if you don't want to be an Auror, do you have an idea of what you'd like to do instead? Is that why you came back to Hogwarts, to prepare for something else?"

Figuring he was fucked enough as it was, Harry decided to go with a truthful answer. "I know what I'd like to do, an ambition of sorts. It's not likely to happen though." He laughed harshly for a second. "I wouldn't have come back if I'd known us Eighth Years wouldn't be allowed to play Quidditch for the House teams. Quidditch was the only reason I came back."

He chanced a glance in Malfoy's direction. Malfoy was still facing him, hands folded and rested in his lap. He had one eyebrow arched and a contemplative look on his face.

"I'm going to assume that you're implying you would like to play professional Quidditch for a living?"

Harry couldn't help it. He looked up directly into those steely-grey eyes again. He opened his mouth to reply with a simple 'yes'. Instead, the word vomit came back, and he became a babbling mess.

"It's really the only thing that ever came naturally to me in the wizarding world. Every time I get on a broom, it's like the first time again. The feeling I get, it's indescribable. I'm happy when I'm flying. But it's been well over a year since I've played Quidditch or even been on a broom, so I probably suck now because of that. I came back here hoping I'd get some practice before I try to play professionally. But I can't fucking play on the Gryffindor team. So, what was the point? I'm screwed either way now. I might as well just go join the Aurors at this point…"

"Whoa, Potter, slow down." Malfoy said calmly and placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, gently shaking him out of his rant. Harry stopped talking, but he was panting lightly, as if he'd just sprinted a few laps around the room. He looked down at his shaky hands, thoroughly embarrassed by his outburst. "First thing's first, it's been twenty minutes," Malfoy said once Harry was breathing normally again. "We should look at your potion."

Harry couldn't believe he'd just spent all that time confiding in Draco Malfoy. He shook his head and took a deep breath before standing up to follow Malfoy over to his cauldron. He hesitated for just a second before taking the last step forward. He looked down and was pleasantly surprised to see the formerly dark red potion had turned light pink in color, as Malfoy had said it should. He let out a breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding in.

"Congratulations, Potter." Malfoy smirked. "You're not completely hopeless after all."

Instead of coming up with some smart-mouthed, nasty retort like he might have in the past, Harry blurted out sincerely, "Yeah, well you're a great teacher. Way better than Slughorn."

If he hadn't know better, Harry would have said that, for just a moment, Malfoy's normally pale cheeks were tinted a barely noticeable pink at the compliment. But he had to be imagining it.

Malfoy muttered a quick, "Thank you."

They cleaned up and packed everything away in silence. Harry felt extraordinarily uncomfortable after everything he had confessed to Malfoy. Especially since his last exploding declaration went ignored by the Slytherin. He thought Malfoy might mention it once they were done with the potion, but he hadn't. He wondered why that upset him.

When they were done, Harry grabbed his bag and turned to say some sort of goodbye to Malfoy, who was facing the other way.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. I'll see you next week, yeah? For the next tutoring session? Right? Same day, same time, same place?"

Harry could hear himself rambling like an idiot, so he forced himself to shut up and wait for Malfoy to confirm their next meeting before leaving. Malfoy had turned around at some point while Harry had been talking. He crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Harry with an amused expression on his face.

"Do you have any plans right now?"

Harry gawked at Malfoy. Surely, he'd heard him wrong. It sounded like Malfoy was going to ask him to do something like… hang out? No. Definitely not. Harry was sure he'd misunderstood him.

Malfoy didn't seem to need an answer.

"Actually, this is more important than anything else you could possibly have to do right now, so I don't care if you have plans. If you do, cancel them. Luckily, we still have plenty of time before dinner. So, Potter, go fetch your broom and meet me at the Quidditch pitch in fifteen minutes. I'm assuming you have your own broom here? Since you mentioned you were hoping to play this year?"

Harry continued to gape, eyes wide, mouth hanging open a little. He was sure he looked ridiculous, but he was having an extremely hard time comprehending Malfoy's words.

Eventually, he managed to say, "I do have my own broom, but—"

"Wonderful. Quidditch pitch. Fifteen minutes."

With that, Malfoy strolled past Harry and left the room.

After Malfoy exited the potions classroom, Harry stayed frozen in his spot. Was Malfoy serious? Should he really do as Malfoy had told him to? As he came out of his pondering, he collected himself and made up his mind.

He began sprinting to Gryffindor Tower. When he arrived there, he charged up the stairs to his dorm, grabbed his broom, and ran back downstairs. Unfortunately, Ron and Hermione were waiting for him in the common room. As much as he loved them, he brushed them off. He successfully and efficiently dodged their questions before he proceeded to dash back downstairs and head outside. He briefly wondered if this was all some trick or joke of Malfoy's. He knew it wasn't upon arriving at the Quidditch pitch. He saw his former rival standing at the very center of the field, his own broom held at his side.

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 _ **Present**_

So, there he stood. Next to Draco Malfoy in the middle of the Quidditch pitch.

Despite Malfoy's teasingly snarky suggestion that he mount his broom, Harry had not moved. Once he found his voice he asked, "So, what exactly are we doing?"

Malfoy drawled, "I thought that was obvious, Potter." When Harry could only blink at him in confusion, Malfoy continued. "We're going to give you some practice by playing a Seeker's game. I will release this snitch, and you will try to catch it before I do. Or has it been so long that you've forgotten what role the Seeker plays in a game of Quidditch?"

Harry hadn't known that Malfoy had a snitch until he held it up to show him. He was almost tempted to question where Malfoy had gotten it from, but decided that wasn't important. What was important was that he was going to fly again. He was going to have a chance to chase the golden snitch and, in some ways, play Quidditch again (obviously, it wouldn't be exactly the same without the Chasers, Beaters and Keepers). He hadn't felt this excited in a very long time.

Harry nodded. "Release the snitch. We'll give it a two-minute head start."

Malfoy let go of the snitch in his hand. For a split second, Harry saw the golden ball, rapidly beating its wings, hovering in front of them. Then it sped off, disappearing from sight.

Only then did Harry swing a leg over his broom, mounting it in preparation to take off. He watched Malfoy do the same next to him.

"You know, Malfoy, this will be great practice. If I'm being honest, you're the only real competition I've ever had."

Malfoy didn't smirk. This time, he grinned. "I know."

Harry let out a short bark of laughter at Malfoy's cocky answer. He couldn't wait to fight Malfoy for the snitch again. He hadn't thought about it until that moment, but he'd really missed not only flying but the game of Quidditch itself and the competitiveness it involved.

"Ten seconds, Potter."

Harry hunched over, gripping his broom tightly with both hands.

Malfoy counted down, "Three… Two… One… Go!"

Harry kicked off hard. The wind whipped through his hair as he rose straight into the air. He felt happy, he felt free, he felt _alive_. He knew for a fact that flying was the best feeling in the world. He couldn't have kept his almost manic grin off his face if he tried. The sun was starting to set and Harry was sure he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

He did a lap around the pitch before heading to one end, hovering near the goal posts. He tried searching for the snitch, but he found it hard to concentrate. Malfoy was at the opposite end of the pitch by the other set of goal posts. Harry couldn't stop himself from watching him.

The sky was a pinkish-orange color, which reflected off Malfoy's platinum blonde hair and porcelain skin in such a way that he appeared to be glowing. As far away as he was, Harry could see that the eyes that had so enraptured him back in the potions classroom were bright and shining. Malfoy was hunched over his broom in a similar manner to Harry. He was still thin like he had always been, but he had filled out in a flattering way since the end of the war. His face even looked less pointed than Harry remembered it being. He had an almost imperceptible, but undeniably present, smile on his face. He looked as happy as Harry felt.

Harry shook his head, coming out of his Malfoy filled thoughts, and tried to focus on finding the snitch.

He saw it at the exact moment Malfoy did. The golden snitch was hovering just above the ground, exactly halfway between Malfoy and himself. They went into a dive at the same time. Harry's heart was hammering in his chest. This was what he loved most about Quidditch. The exhilaration of speeding through the air, trying to be the first to the snitch. He had to beat Malfoy.

Harry willed his broom to accelerate faster, but Malfoy was just as close to the tiny, winged, golden ball as he was. As they closed in on the snitch, Harry took a hand off his broom and reached out towards it. It was moving now, skirting along very close to the ground, away from Harry and closer to Malfoy. Malfoy, too, reached out. With one final burst of energy, Harry pushed forward, knocking Malfoy's hand out of the way. And then Harry felt it. The snitch was held in his right hand, its wings flapping feebly under his clutch.

What Harry didn't see was that Malfoy hadn't successfully pulled out of his dive. As Harry was catching the snitch, Malfoy was falling off his broom onto the soft grass. Harry was just starting to pull out of his own dive when a hand grabbed the sleeve of his robe. He was dragged down to the ground with Malfoy.

They rolled across the field a few times before coming to a stop, Malfoy on his back, Harry on top of him. Malfoy was clinging onto Harry as if he would die if he let go. Harry felt warmer suddenly for reasons he couldn't identify. They remained silent and motionless for a minute before Malfoy burst out laughing.

Malfoy's laugh was contagious. Soon, Harry was laughing right along with him. He couldn't say how long they stayed like that, Malfoy lying on the ground with Harry on top of him.

After a while, they realized the position they were in. Malfoy loosened his grip on Harry, who quickly rolled off him. He flopped down on the grass next to Malfoy. He stretched his arms and legs, making himself comfortable on the ground. He didn't want to get up just yet and Malfoy wasn't moving, so he stayed put.

They didn't speak for some time as they were both catching their breath. Once he was able to, Malfoy turned on his side to face Harry, propping himself up on his elbow.

"I'd say you're Quidditch skills are still up to snuff. I mean it was very close, but still if you could get past _me…_ "

"Oh, shut it." Harry, too, turned on his side so he could see Malfoy better. He was well aware that there was very little space between them. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Potter?"

Harry took a deep breath before asking, "Why did you do all this?"

Malfoy went rigid, looking anywhere but at Harry, picking out a few blades of grass from the ground.

Once again, Harry found himself babbling. "Not-not that I mind. I mean it's not a bad thing, I enjoyed it. And honestly it's nice being able to talk about this stuff, even though, you know, you and I aren't close… or even friends… no I get it, I'm sorry, I—"

"Potter, relax. I wouldn't have done this if I still hated you." He paused. "Honestly? I feel like I owe you, and this is literally the very least I could do." Malfoy still wouldn't look at Harry as he spoke.

Harry tilted his head to the side, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "You owe me?"

"Oh, don't play dumb." He sounded genuinely irritated now. "You saved my life. Twice. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I'd either have burned to death in that bloody fire, or I'd be rotting away in Azkaban right now." He swallowed visibly and audibly, looking incredibly vulnerable. "You gave me a second chance."

Harry was shocked, but also a little disappointed, by Malfoy's answer. He hadn't considered that Malfoy felt like he 'owed him' anything. He felt stupid for thinking that Malfoy had played this Seeker's game with him simply because he wanted to. He'd only done it because of some ridiculous 'life debt' or whatever it was. He wanted to make Malfoy understand that he owed Harry nothing.

"Listen. You saved my life too, that day we got caught and brought to Malfoy Manor. But even if you hadn't I would never think you owed me anything. Saving you from that fire and defending you during your trial, I was just doing what I knew was right. I appreciate you flying with me, but I'd much rather know you're doing it because you want to and not on some silly notion that you owe me something. I wouldn't have helped you if I didn't think you deserved this second chance, Draco. Because you really do deserve it."

Apparently, he had said the right thing. Harry had barely finished talking when Malfoy cautiously reached out a hand. He was hesitant at first, but then delicate fingers were tracing Harry's lightning bolt scar. Harry's eyes fell closed. He didn't move a muscle as Malfoy swept those fingers slowly across his forehead, down the side of his face, and along his jaw. He finally cupped Harry's chin in his hand, holding him in place. He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Harry's lips before quickly pulling away and dropping his hand. Harry's eyes shot open at the sudden loss of contact.

Malfoy's eyes were pools of doubt and insecurity as Harry remained entirely still. Harry was speechless. He had to take a moment to adjust, as this was all so new to him. Malfoy was acting in an incredibly intimate and utterly romantic way. He couldn't believe it. This was _Malfoy_. Yet… this was _amazing_.

As he came back to his senses, his first thought was that he needed Malfoy to know that he wanted to keep going. That he wanted this. That he wanted _him_. Because in that instant, he was sure that was exactly what he wanted.

When Malfoy made no further move, Harry reached out his right hand. He vaguely registered that he was still grasping the golden snitch tightly in that hand. He let it go. The little golden ball flapped it's wings vigorously as if flew away. He didn't care where it went, they could always find another one at another time. What mattered was expressing to Malfoy how he felt.

His hand went to Malfoy's silky blonde hair. His fingers combed through it a few times before he placed his hand at Malfoy's nape. While looking straight into those stunning eyes, which were widening in surprise, Harry pulled Malfoy forward and kissed him.

He was flying again. He felt the rush and the thrill and the joy he associated with being in the air. Kissing Malfoy felt just as incredible as all that, if not more so.

In that moment, everything clicked into place in Harry's mind. Every thought and every feeling he'd had since entering the potions classroom a few hours before suddenly made sense. He now knew why he'd been able to look at nothing but Malfoy while trying to search for the snitch. Why he'd been mesmerized by his beautiful eyes all afternoon. Why he'd so easily confided in him. Why he'd so easily trusted him. Everything fell into place with that kiss.

Malfoy's warm, full lips moved gently over Harry's. He seemed apprehensive about doing too much too soon, as if he was afraid he might scare Harry away. Harry desperately wanted to show him that he wasn't going anywhere. However, before he could act on that thought, Malfoy unexpectedly pulled away.

Harry was about to yell at him for stopping but, before he could voice his frustration, Malfoy buried his face in Harry's neck. He nipped and sucked and kissed every bit of skin he could find there. Harry tried to control the sounds he was making as Malfoy's lips found a particularly sensitive spot and focused on it, but it was a hopeless cause.

While never ceasing his actions, Malfoy spoke. "Promise me you won't settle for being an Auror. Play Quidditch if that's what _you_ want to do. You deserve to be happy, Harry."

Harry was almost incapable of replying, but finally managed to say breathlessly, "I'll only do it if you keep practicing with me."

"Of course."

"Then I promise."

With that, Malfoy's mouth left Harry's neck and returned to his lips. Malfoy kissed him harder this time and with more fervor than before. He forced his way into Harry's mouth with his tongue while his hand went to Harry's hair, gripping tightly to the dark disheveled mop. Harry, meanwhile, wrapped an arm around Malfoy's waist as he fell back onto the grass. He dragged Malfoy with him so that he ended up lying half on top of Harry. Not once did their lips disconnect.

Harry's head was swimming. He had never been kissed like this before. He felt like all rational thought left him the second Malfoy's lips made contact with his. All he cared about was making sure Malfoy never stopped because this was perfect.

Without warning, Malfoy pulled away and beamed at Harry.

"See you later."

He stood up abruptly, grabbed his broom, and began walking back towards the castle. After getting over the shock of the sudden loss of Malfoy, Harry jumped to his feet.

"Wait! W-where are you going?" He hated how sad and desperate he sounded.

Malfoy stopped walking. He chuckled as he slowly turned back to face Harry.

"It's dinner time and I'm starving." He sent an almost seductive smirk Harry's way. "I'll see you next week for Potions tutoring. Same time, same place. And be sure to bring your broom, Harry."

With that he turned around again and continued back to the castle.

Harry shook his head and laughed. After what had just happened, he wasn't sure he could make it until next week without seeing the Slytherin. Hell, he didn't think he'd make it until tomorrow. He grabbed his broom off the ground and headed towards the castle. He decided that, after a quick dinner, he would find Draco so they could talk… or possibly snog some more.

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 **I don't know… I kinda like it haha. You know the drill, let me know your thoughts and opinions!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Hi! I'm back! Haha. So, I originally wrote the first chapter to this as a one-shot, but a few people were of the opinion that it would do well as a multi-chapter story, and wanted me to continue it. I'm so grateful for the love I got on the first part, so I decided to give it a shot and write more! The entire story is mostly written out, so hopefully I'll be able to update regularly, but still I'll post the chapters spaced out enough to give you lovely people some time to read and review. Also, i upped the rating for later chapters (we'll see how that goes... I've never written anything like that until now LOL). Anyway, here's chapter two, I hope you all enjoy! Let me know either way!**

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 _Chapter Two_

Apparently, Draco walked quickly. Harry looked for him in the entrance hall once he reached the castle, but didn't see him there. He knew that, even among the throng of students making their way to dinner, he would have easily spotted the tall Slytherin's distinguishable head of platinum blonde hair. Harry figured he'd gone to his dorm first to put away his broom. Harry needed to do that as well. Sighing defeatedly, he went against the crowd of students heading to the Great Hall, instead making his way to the main staircase.

When he entered the Gryffindor common room, he was instantly bombarded by his friends.

"Harry! Are you okay? Where have you been? You just grabbed your broom and ran off before. What's going on?"

"Mate, took you long enough. I'm starving but Hermione insisted on waiting for you to get back before going down to dinner."

Harry wasn't surprised by Hermione's concern, that was to be expected. Harry knew Ron's stomach dictated his life, but that comment made him internally laugh regardless.

"You didn't have to wait for me." It was the only honest thing he could think to say that didn't give anything away. He wasn't exactly dying to tell Ron and Hermione everything that had just happened. He wanted to keep those moments with Draco for himself. Besides, he didn't even know what there was to tell. Draco had left so suddenly. Where did they stand?

"Of course we waited for you." Hermione said. "What were you doing anyway?"

"Come on, 'Mione, you can question him at dinner. I'm fucking hungry." Ron said, rubbing his stomach as if to prove his point.

"Ronald, you can wait five more minutes for dinner. You act like you've never eaten a decent meal a day in your life."

"That's not even the point."

"That's a very valid point."

Harry rolled his eyes. They never did stop their annoying little arguments even after becoming a couple. He was used to it by this point.

"I'm going to put this upstairs, alright?" Harry said before darting up the staircase to the boy's dorms. He doubted he'd be missed, at least for a little while. He put his broom away before sitting down on his bed. He needed to collect his thoughts.

Everything that had happened since he'd walked down to the dungeons had been nothing short of amazing. But what did it mean? Harry was fairly sure he knew how he felt, despite this whole thing with Draco being so sudden. With the confiding in him, the flying with him, and the best snog of his life with him, what else could it mean to Harry?

But what was Draco thinking? Since when did he feel like he could do any of those things with Harry? Was it just as sudden for him? Would he regret it?

Harry shook his head sharply. He shouldn't dwell on that last question. It didn't seem like that could be possible anyway. It hadn't felt like a casual, meaningless snog. Draco had been… sweet. He felt confident saying Draco felt _something_.

All Harry knew for sure was this, he wanted to see Draco again, and not just next week for tutoring.

He stood up, figuring he'd left Ron and Hermione waiting long enough. He made his way back downstairs and saw that they had stopped arguing, but still seemed annoyed with one another.

"Finally. Let's go," Ron said, sounding a little irritated. Hermione stood with her arms crossed, refusing to look at Ron. Harry was right, they were still angry at each other.

The walk to the Great Hall was silent. Harry tried to mentally prepare himself for the moment Hermione would start to interrogate him. Luckily, they made it all the way to the Gryffindor table without one word said to him.

He forced himself to keep his eyes down until he was seated. Not paying attention, he filled his plate with random foods. When he couldn't put it off any longer, he lifted his head and glanced across the hall.

Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table with his two friends, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, who had also returned for this Eighth Year. He seemed to be listening closely to something Pansy was saying, with his signature smirk present on his face. Harry couldn't help thinking that he looked just as stunning here as he had outside.

As if sensing Harry's eyes on him, Draco turned his attention to the Gryffindor table. Harry felt himself flush when their eyes connected, but he couldn't look away. Draco directed that smirk at him now and quirked an eyebrow. After god knows how long, Harry looked back down at his untouched plate.

"Harry, are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Harry's eyes snapped to Hermione. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You've been acting weird today." Ron noted.

"Oh. I don't mean to." Harry supposed that was the truth.

"How'd tutoring with the slimy snake go?" Ron asked, snorting in laughter at his own insulting reference to Draco.

Harry shrugged and said noncommittally, "Oh, you know. Not bad."

"Really? Not absolutely fucking awful?" Again, Ron laughed through a mouthful of food. Hermione looked disgusted.

She said firmly, "I'm sure Malfoy was perfectly fine. He's here conditionally and he's on probation. He's not going to do anything to mess that up."

"Yeah, like that'll stop him from screwing with Harry. The guy's a prick."

Harry found himself getting more and more irked with each rude comment Ron said about Draco. But he knew he couldn't show it.

"No, he was alright actually. Yeah, I was surprised, but I really need my Potions grade to go up, and if he can help me then I'll be civil." Harry tried his best to sound impassive.

Ron snorted again. "Well, I wish you luck, mate. What was with you running away with your broom though?"

Harry went with the only potentially believable reason he had come up with. "Oh, you know, as civil as we can be, I needed some fresh air after dealing with Malfoy for an hour and a half."

Hermione shot him a curious look. "You went flying by yourself?"

"Uh, yeah. Is that bad?"

She considered that. "I guess not. Besides, what would I know about anything to do with flying?"

"Absolutely nothing," Ron stated bluntly, which began another minor argument between him and Hermione. Harry ignored them, finally focusing on his meal.

By the time he looked up again, Draco had left the hall. Harry nearly groaned. There was no way he'd find him tonight. But still, he was determined to find him as soon as possible.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Sunday went by uneventfully. All Harry could think about was Draco. He was still unable to track him down. He couldn't exactly go up to him during meals, and with no classes that day he didn't run into him at all. It was killing him, having to wait this long to even have a word with the Slytherin. If it wouldn't have screamed desperation, Harry would have sent him a letter by owl, but he knew that was too much. Still, in his pathetic state, he'd considered it.

Potions was his first class on Monday. Harry was anxious to get there just to see Draco. He tried to think of how he could possibly get him alone for a minute. Before Saturday, they'd never talked to each other in or out of class, so he knew it would be weird and bring about awkward questioning if he were to just go up to Draco at any point. Would he have to suffer through this insanity until the next tutoring session? He was sure he'd go mad.

Harry entered the dungeon classroom feeling nauseous at the idea of being so close to Draco but not being able to talk to him. Ron and Hermione walked in front of him as they made their way to the table they always shared with Ernie Macmillan. Draco was already in the room, seated at the table farthest form Harry's with his two friends. Harry tried his damnedest not to look in his direction.

Slughorn set the assignment for the day. Once Harry returned to the table with all his ingredients, he set to work. He focused hard, remembering everything Draco had taught him. After about a half hour of hard work, he thought he was doing pretty well.

"Shit, I forgot the grab the belladonna." Harry heard Draco's familiar voice break the silence in the classroom. He couldn't help but glance sideways at Draco as he stood up from his seat. "I'll be right back," he told Pansy and Blaise.

He began to make his way across the room towards the cupboard where the student ingredients were stored. Harry tried not to watch him, he really did, but his eyes followed Draco's every step from his table to the cupboard. Harry found himself idly wondering if the Slytherin always walked with such grace.

When Draco came out of the small room, he took a different route back to his desk. He was walking towards Harry's table with a mischievous grin on his face. Harry's heartrate increased as Draco got closer. He glanced to his right. Hermione was focused entirely on her potion and Ron was looking into his girlfriend's cauldron, copying her work. He glanced to his left. Ernie looked similar to Hermione, his attention solely on his assignment. None of them noticed Draco approaching.

Harry looked up just as Draco was walking in front of his desk, nearing his spot. He watched as Draco surreptitiously dropped something into his cauldron. Harry's mouth dropped open in shock. He stared at Draco, who's eyes were already on him. Draco winked and continued back to his desk.

Harry had no idea what that was about. Had he missed a step and Draco had noticed? Was he trying to help him again? What the hell?

Suddenly, his potion started bubbling rapidly, before rising to the top of his cauldron and spilling over the edge. Harry couldn't think of what to do, he just watched his ruined potion make a mess on the table. The students and their professor were all looking at him and his cauldron by that point.

Just as suddenly as it had started, it was over. His useless potion was vanished. Harry spun his head around looking for who had done it, as he knew it wasn't Slughorn. (Harry had been staring at the professor, horrified, just a second before.) His eyes found Draco standing next to his table with his wand in hand.

"Professor Slughorn, I'm sorry, I don't know what happened." Harry quickly stammered out, turning his head back to the front of the room.

"That's alright, Harry m'boy." Slughorn said. He sounded disappointed, but not at all surprised.

Sadly, this was nothing new for Harry. His poor performance in Potions was exactly how he'd landed himself in tutoring with Draco. He thought he'd been doing alright today, though, after all Draco had taught him during their first lesson. He knew his most recent failure couldn't be his fault. It had everything to do with whatever Draco had dropped in his cauldron before. Why would Draco intentionally destroy his potion?

"Professor, if I may," Draco spoke up out of nowhere. "Potter made a lot of improvement on Saturday under my watch. Perhaps if I assist him in class as well it would be more beneficial to his progress."

Harry gaped. What the hell was Draco doing?

"Hmm…" Slughorn considered Draco's idea. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. You are a tremendously talented potion maker, after all." Draco nodded his head once in thanks to the compliment. "Alright. Mr. Macmillan, if you wouldn't mind moving to that table over there," he pointed across the room to a table seating three Ravenclaws, "And Mr. Malfoy you can sit with Harry here."

Harry could do nothing. He couldn't make a sound as Ernie nodded in confusion and began collecting his things. He turned to Ron and Hermione and saw similar expressions of shock on their faces. He shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it. Draco returned to his table and gathered his own cauldron and bag. Harry saw Pansy and Blaise whispering questions to their friend. He brushed them off before making his way across the room and sitting down next to Harry, as if he did this every day and it wasn't at all odd.

Harry found his voice once Draco was settled in his seat. "What the hell was that?" Harry hissed under his breath. "You made me look like an incompetent arse."

Draco inquired calmly, "You're angry?"

"I…" Harry paused. This was exactly what he wanted, wasn't it? Some time with Draco. Even more than that, it was now obvious that Draco wanted to talk to him too. Harry realized, despite what Draco had done to his potion, he wasn't angry at all.

"Say the word and I'll leave you alone," Draco continued when Harry failed to form a legitimate response. Again, he sounded emotionless.

"Fine, I'm not angry," Harry muttered. "But couldn't you have found another way to talk to me besides ruining my perfectly alright potion?"

"Yes, your potion was quite good. I'll admit I was impressed. From what I can tell, I must have had some effect on you the other day." He smirked as he watched Harry out of the corner of his eye while appearing to anyone else like he was staring avidly at his cauldron in front of him.

"You did," Harry confirmed. He hadn't missed the double meaning in Draco's last sentence, but he was determined to stick to talking about potions since Ron and Hermione were sitting directly to his right. He wouldn't be surprised if the couple (or at the very least Ron) were trying to figure out what he and Draco were talking about. Although, he was confident they were talking low enough that his friends wouldn't hear. "Like I said on Saturday, you're the best potions teacher I've ever had."

"I don't believe you used those exact words. However, that's an even higher compliment than the one on Saturday, so thank you Harry."

Harry nearly shivered. Draco had called him by his first name, and said it so seductively. If they hadn't been in the middle of class, Harry most likely would have jumped him because of his voice… among other reasons. He pushed away thoughts of snogging the life out of Draco.

"You do realize you just signed yourself up to sit with a bunch of Gryffindors during every class, don't you? I would think that's the last thing you want."

"What I want is to sit with you," he stated simply. Before Harry baffled mind could think of any sort of response to that, Draco continued. "Well, come on, help me finish my potion. It's too late now to start yours over."

Harry nodded, trying to regain focus on the assignment. They set to work, Draco letting Harry do most of it for practice. During their first tutoring session, Draco hadn't hovered. Now Harry felt like Draco was practically on top of him. It didn't bother him in the slightest, but it was damn distracting.

Harry went to stir their potion, which according to the book was the last step. He grabbed the stirrer and made half a turn when a hand gently wrapped around his own, stopping him. He inhaled sharply in reaction to the soft touch.

"Other way, Harry," Draco whispered in his ear, not letting go of his hand.

Harry swallowed hard. "Oh. I thought it was clockwise."

"Nope, counter-clockwise." Again, Draco's smooth voice was directed into his ear.

"Sorry," Harry murmured, feeling his face heat up.

"It's nothing to be sorry about. That's what I'm here for, to help you." Draco began moving their hands to stir the potion counter-clockwise. Once they completed the eleven turns the book directed, he let go of Harry's hand. Harry instantly found himself missing Draco's touch.

Under Draco's direction, their potion came out perfect. They even finished before everyone else in the class. Once Slughorn had declared their potion exceptional, he and Draco sat in their seats, which were a little closer to each other than was necessary.

"I was thinking." Draco turned sideways in his chair to better face Harry, like he had the other day. This time, his knees were pressed into Harry's thigh.

"Uh huh?" Harry felt like an idiot for only being able to produce sounds, not actual words and sentences.

"I don't think once a week is enough practice for you." He spoke even quieter than before, and Harry got the feeling he wasn't referring to practicing potions. "I'm available to help you again tonight after dinner, if you think that's a good idea."

Harry nodded slowly. "Yes. I think that's probably best for me. I clearly need it."

Everyone was packing up now. Class was over. Harry grabbed his school bag and turned to leave, but Draco was waiting for him. He looked around, making sure no one was watching, before leaning towards Harry. Their faces were so close, and all Harry could think about was how desperately he wanted to feel Draco's lips against his again.

"Quidditch pitch. Seven thirty. Don't be late."

With those last hushed words, Draco turned around and walked out of the room. Harry felt like he might faint. Draco Malfoy was going to be the death of him.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Okay. Am I going to have to be the one to address the issue here?"

Harry's fork froze in midair, halfway from his plate to his mouth. He prayed that Ron wasn't talking about what he thought he was.

"What's the issue, Ron?" Hermione said, not taking her eyes off the rather large book about god knows what that was propped up on the table in front of her.

"Malfoy!" Ron snapped. Harry was right. He had been wondering when the topic would come up. Apparently, dinner was the time to discuss it. "We haven't said a word about it all day!"

"What about Malfoy?" Harry asked, trying to sound unconcerned.

"I'm surprised you're not more freaked out about this than I am! I'd punch that git in the face if it were me!"

"You're overreacting, Ronald." Hermione said. "I mean, I guess I find it odd that he's offering to help Harry more than he's obligated to, but I doubt he has any ulterior motives. Who knows, maybe he's doing it as some sort of thanks to Harry for defending him during his trial."

Ron snorted at that, clearly finding it hard to believe. Still, Harry was grateful that Hermione had put it in terms like that. It sounded at the very least plausible, and allowed Harry to continue like nothing different was going on between him and Draco.

"Yeah, and besides you saw my potion today," Harry said. "That's up to him if he wants to help me out, but I'm not turning it away since he offered."

Ron blinked at them for a moment before saying, "You're both insane."

Harry didn't want to talk about this anymore, for fear of doing or saying something that would give him away. Besides, he had to find a way to sneak his broom out of his dorm to go meet Draco soon.

"I'm full. I think I'm going to go back up to the common room."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Hermione asked, giving him a worried look. This didn't surprise him. He supposed he had been acting very weird over the past few days.

"No that's okay. I feel like I'm always hanging around you guys. Not that it's a bad thing, I just meant maybe you'd like some time alone." Harry grinned at Hermione's blush and Ron's thumbs up. "Really, I'm good. I'll see you guys later."

Soon enough he was outside with his broom. Draco had beaten him to the pitch again. He stood leaning against the door of the locker rooms with his arms crossed. Harry was surprised to find Draco without his usual smirk on his face. Instead, there was a small, genuine smile playing at his lips.

Harry approached him and said, "So, are you ready for me to kick your arse again?"

"Bring it on," Draco replied in a confident drawl. He held up a snitch for Harry to see, before releasing it. Again, Harry wondered how he'd gotten it.

They played another Seeker's game, which lasted much longer than their first one. The snitch was being difficult and the darker it got, the harder it became to find it. Harry eventually beat Draco to it, but again, it was a very close match.

Once they were back on the ground, outside the locker rooms, Harry leaned back against the wall and said, "Are you sure you're not just letting me win to make me feel better? Both games we've played could've gone either way, they were very close."

Draco took a few steps forward to stand directly in front of Harry. He placed one hand flat against the wall next to Harry's head, half trapping him in. Harry's breath hitched. Draco was _so close_.

"While that would be _very_ sweet of me to do, it would hurt you more than help you. Besides, since when have I been known to do anything sweet?"

"I don't know." He paused before forcing himself bring up the only topic on his mind. "You were sweet on Saturday when you kissed me." He could hear the shyness in his own voice. He hated how timid he sounded. He wanted to appear confident, not scared. Trying to sound both mocking and self-assured, he added, "But that lasted a total of two seconds before you pulled away, leaving me to finish the job and do all the work."

Draco's eyes were locked on Harry's. The normally silvery-grey color of those eyes seemed much darker now, probably from the lack of sunlight. Still, Harry thought they were beautiful. He noticed when a flicker of emotion flashed across Draco's face. He didn't know what the emotion was, so he was left pondering what Draco could be feeling.

While remaining poised as ever, Draco finally showed a real reaction. His face split into a wicked grin. "Oh, you did all the work? Hmm, well I apologize for that. Perhaps I can make it up to you somehow."

The second he finished talking, his lips were on Harry's. Both of his hands cupped Harry's face, holding him in place as he kissed him hard and fast. This was much different than their first kisses. This was desperate and passionate and mind blowing. Harry could only moan in contentment and follow Draco's lead. Draco really was the one doing all the work this time.

Draco pushed Harry back so he was pressed more firmly against the wall. Harry gripped tightly onto Draco's hips, pulling him impossibly close, as the blonde continued to do wonderful things with his tongue. Draco removed his hands from Harry's face in favor of burying them in his hair and tugging at the dark locks.

Kissing Draco was even better than he remembered, and he found he liked this new, almost rough snogging. It made him feel like Draco _needed_ him. Hell, Harry knew he needed him too, especially after this.

Like last time, it ended abruptly. Draco extracted himself from Harry's grasp and took a few steps back.

Harry almost didn't care that he was whining. "Stop doing that."

Draco laughed. "Sorry. I don't mean to. I just… You make it very hard for me to control myself, so I had to stop before it was too late."

"Oh?" Harry's eyebrows shot up.

Draco nodded, then said, "Besides, I have an idea to run by you."

"Go ahead." The sudden subject change threw Harry off too. He wanted to hear more about this lack of self-control Draco apparently had around him.

"Well, I remember vividly the first time you rode a broom." He glared at Harry, but Harry could tell he wasn't angry now about their confrontation that took place a little more than seven years ago. "I also remember that someone saw you flying and instead of expelling you, made you seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

Harry was confused. "Yes. Professor McGonagall."

"Well, why don't you ask her to write to some of the teams you're interested in playing for. She can be your reference. Sure, you can't play this year on your house team, but McGonagall knew from the first time she saw you fly, when you were eleven no less, how naturally talented you were. She watched you play for six years following that. She can honestly portray how good you are."

Harry thought about it for a second, it wasn't a bad idea. Then he thought of something else and his heart dropped. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Harry sighed before explaining. "In fifth year, I told McGonagall I wanted to be an Auror during that career advisement we had to go to with our head of house. Of course that evil bitch Umbridge was at my appointment, and they got into an argument because Umbridge said I'd never be an Auror. McGonagall said she would do everything in her power to make it happen for me. I can't go to her after all that and tell her I changed my mind."

"Harry, you have to tell these people eventually. You don't want to be an Auror and if you keep trying to please everyone else, that's exactly what you'll become. Think about yourself for once. I know one of your best qualities is your selflessness, but you have every right to be selfish now. Especially when it comes to something as important as choosing what you want to do for the rest of your life."

Draco sounded a little frustrated, but Harry got the feeling it was only because he genuinely cared. He still vaguely wondered where all these strong feelings had come from so suddenly, but chose not to address it at that moment.

"I know, and I don't want that to happen. I just feel like, as much as I've done, the people who are counting on me to do this have helped me out so much. I don't want to disappoint them."

"You can't live your life trying to make everyone around you happy. You'll only end up hating yourself and resenting all those people along the way. Trust me."

Something in Draco's voice and his words struck Harry as peculiar. "How do you know?"

Draco scoffed. If he hadn't sounded frustrated before, he definitely did now. "Please, Harry. You think I wanted this?" He pulled up his left sleeve and Harry saw the significantly faded, but undeniably present, Dark Mark marring the pale skin of his forearm. "You think I don't resent my father every day, even though he's locked away in Azkaban? Not to mention almost every member of my family and their closest friends that I've known all my life. I made the wrong choice. I could have said no. Maybe I would have gotten killed for that. Still, the ultimate reason I did it was to please my father and my mother and my Aunt Bellatrix… the list goes on."

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't think…" Harry stammered, not sure what to say.

"Now, I understand it's a very different situation. But if you're unhappy in your life, especially if you made the choice that caused you to be unhappy, you'll resent everyone and everything, including yourself. You're the last person who deserves to be unhappy."

Like he had done on Saturday, Draco reached out a hand to gently trace Harry's lightning bolt scar with his finger. The finger was soon replaced by his lips. Harry's eyes fell closed of their own accord, and he remained perfectly still while Draco held his lips to his scar for some time.

"Now, was that sweet or what?" Draco murmured against his forehead.

Harry had to chuckle at that. "You're going soft, Malfoy."

"That's Draco to you." Harry felt Draco's lips form a smile. "And I really am going soft, as you said, which is entirely your fault."

"My apologies. I assure you, it was unintentional."

Draco pulled himself away from Harry's scar. "Oh, I know. You have absolutely no idea the effect you've been having on me."

Harry stared up at him. "And what does that mean?"

"Another story for another time. It's far too late to be getting into it now." He ran his hands through Harry's hair before pulling him in for one last intense kiss. Far too soon for Harry's liking, he was pulling away.

"What did I say about leaving me hanging?" Harry grumbled in disappointment.

Draco ignored that. As he grabbed his broom, he said, "I expect you out here tomorrow, same time. These first two games have been far too close for my liking. You're going to need a bit more practice." Once again, he walked back towards the castle while Harry remained stock-still.

Whatever effect he'd apparently been having on Draco, he knew for a fact Draco was now having that effect on him.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Harry didn't realize how late it was when he started making his way back to the castle. Only once he was walking up a staircase that led to the Gryffindor dormitory did he check his watch to see that it was well past curfew. He entered the common room quietly only to find it deserted. He walked silently up the stairs to his dorm and opened the door as noiselessly as he could. He heard the light snores of some of his dorm mates as he stashed his broom under his bed and slowly opened his curtains, as he knew they usually made a sound when pulled too quickly. Just as he was about to lie down, someone spoke.

"Is that you, Harry?" He knew immediately it was Ron. Sure enough, his friend pulled open the curtains surrounding his bed and looked at Harry through half asleep eyes.

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to bed."

"Why are you in so late? Hermione and I came back here after dinner and you were gone."

"I… uh… was just out. Doesn't matter, really. I'm sorry I woke you up." Harry said, praying Ron would drop it and fall asleep again.

Instead, Ron sat up in his bed, looking curiously at Harry. Then he gasped and said in a low voice, "You were with a girl, weren't you?"

Harry's jaw dropped to the floor. He really didn't know what to say to that. On the one hand, that would be a good excuse that wasn't too far from the truth. But then he'd have to come up with a name of his 'girlfriend' or give Ron a reason why he couldn't tell him who it was.

"I… I... No." It came out like a question.

"Was it my sister?" Ron looked like he could've thrown up at the thought.

"No." Harry was finally able to say something honest. "You know we never got back together."

"I know. I think we're all just waiting for you to get your shit together and then you will."

Harry knew the Weasleys, especially Ginny, had been disappointed when he'd told her after the war that they couldn't be together. But the idea that the family was still hoping it would happen killed him. It wasn't happening anyway, but it especially wasn't happening now.

He shook his head at that thought. He and Draco were still technically nothing. Maybe they could be something someday. But he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I know for a fact I can't get back together with her, ever."

Ron sighed. "Well then who was it?"

"No one." Ron shot him an incredulous look. " _Really._ "

"Well what were you doing then?"

He decided to be partially truthful. "I just went flying and lost track of time."

Ron asked, "By yourself again?"

Harry nodded. "It's actually peaceful. And I didn't realize how much I missed being in the air."

Ron yawned. "If you say so." Harry thanked Merlin when Ron laid back down. About a minute later, Harry knew he was asleep. His snores gave him away.

With Ron sound asleep again, Harry laid down in his own bed. He had trouble falling asleep, though. He couldn't stop his mind from running wild.

Harry hadn't had feelings for someone in a very long time. After today's events, he was positive he liked Draco. In fact, he _really_ liked Draco.

This situation was foreign to him. First of all, Draco was another bloke. Surprisingly that didn't concern him too much, it was simply new for him. Next, hadn't he and Draco hated each other for almost seven years? Did all that animosity fly out the window at some point? Finally, and most significantly, he'd never felt anything like this for anyone so quickly. He'd never felt this instant passion, intensity or desire with anyone else before. It was brilliant, but confusing.

Eventually, he was able to fall asleep, his thoughts filled with nothing but blonde hair, grey eyes and unbelievably soft lips.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

 **Hope this was okay! Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated!**


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